


France. 1944. Fought a tank with an empty pistol.

by gwmclintock88



Series: Across the Whedonverse [12]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Whedonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2015-07-29
Packaged: 2018-04-11 20:11:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4450589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gwmclintock88/pseuds/gwmclintock88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve never thought he'd have a hangover, but apparently Asgardian ale works on super soldiers.</p><p>He also never thought he'd find his soulmate, or that someone else loved her first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	France. 1944. Fought a tank with an empty pistol.

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Crackship Armada Sails Again, AKA Soulmate Shorts Part 2](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4167942) by [ozhawk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozhawk/pseuds/ozhawk). 



> This story takes place some time after Age of Ultron, but the timeline is wibbly-wobbly. This is based off a prompt I read in ozhawk's [The Crackship Armada Sails Again, AKA Soulmate Shorts Part 2](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4167942). The story that prompted this is chapter four, and I liked the prompt at the beginning so much that I wanted to put my spin on this. Of course, my spin is a little more angst then funny, but I think it turned out pretty well.

            “Captain.” Steve waved off the voice, trying to stop the pounding in his head. Apparently, you drink enough of that Asgardian ale, even super soldiers can get a hangover.

            Tony hosted another party the night before, and really, everyone had been there including people he’d never met. He spent probably an hour talking with Clint and Laura about their children, since that was the closest to normal any of them could get, only to be dragged off by Darcy Lewis, a rather rambunctious assistant to Jane Foster, Thor’s girlfriend. This lead to him being brought into a game of “Good Idea, Bad Idea,” drinking on the worst idea of the round

            Several rounds in most of them well on their way to being drunk, including Natasha and Thor. Steve managed to last as long as he did without sharing too much, but he could only last so long against the combined goading of Tony, Clint, and Darcy. He finally told a story of facing a squadron of tanks without his shield or ammunition. After that things got hazy.

            “Thor,” Steve said. He sat up, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. “What ‘ime is it?”

            “Roughly noon,” he said, taking a seat when Steve moved to put his feet on solid ground. “I felt it would be appropriate to speak of this before the others awoke.” They must have drank a lot of everyone else was still asleep. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept past six, and even then it would have been only because a late mission.

            “Yeah, well…” Steve turned to look at him, trying to gauge the Asgardian. “What?”

            “Jane Foster,” Thor said. He stared out the window, the bright skyline a far cry from what he probably was used to on Asgard.

            “What about her?” Steve thought of the small scientist from last night. She certainly made an impression on all of them, talking Tony’s ear off about some theory or another and managed to coax Natasha in sharing spy stories. Had Bruce been there, it was likely she would have dragged him into the scientific discussion. She was ethereal, gliding around the room and drawing everyone’s attention without trying. It was just her beauty that drew eyes to her, but more her intelligence and tenacity.

            “She…I understand how soulmarks work in this realm,” Thor began. “They are slightly…different on Asgard. For us, we are marked in gold runes when we first touch our compliments.”

            “I see,” Steve said, not really, but Thor seemed lost in his story and Steve was just an observer at this point.

            “Jane does not share my mark, and were this the end of it, I would be happy with her,” Thor said. “Except…

            “Except you met yours.” Steve finished, prompting Thor to nod. “Does she...?”

            “Know? Yes, we have discussed this at length.”

            “I’m sorry,” Steve said.

            He knew what it was like to fall for someone who didn’t share your words or your mark. It was painful and heartbreaking, for all parties involved. Whatever deity deemed it necessary for humanity to pair off like this certainly had their fun, and now it just was a PITA, and that was without society getting involved and pushing their way into things they didn’t deserve. Learning from Peggy she found her partner, only for them to never get together because ‘it wasn’t proper,’ or ‘two women can’t be soulmates,’ or his personal favorite ‘What would Captain America think?’ After a while, it became too much for the other woman, and the two of them fell apart.

           Well, Captain America thought they could all stuff it. Love is love, and he will not deny he loved Peggy, but she had the chance of finding love with another. Instead, she settled, which was the only thing he never wanted for her.

           “Tis nothing,” Thor said, waving off the comfort. “I may love her, but I should not deny who is mine, or who is hers.”

           “What?” Steve began to rub his temple, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

            They were shield brothers or something like. Steve didn’t understand the term completely, but the sentiment was nothing new. They’d both lost their brother and found a good friend in the other. They were warriors from a different place, though Steve was very much Tarzan to Thor’s Marty McFly. Things were different for them, but they were stuck in this strange new world. Thor admitted it was worse for Steve, as at least he could go home, and did so when the mood suited him.  That mood seemed to be happening more and more, and the few times he returned were either because of great stress or in light of some news from Asgard.

            “I will be returning home in the near future, but will be happy to return should the need arise,” Thor said. He stood up from his seat and clamped him on the shoulder. “Take care of her.” Thor headed to the elevator without a backward glances, leaving Steve alone in the wrecked room.

            “What?” Steve asked the empty room around him. He replayed the conversation in his mind or at least tried to, except that headache was still there. Getting up, he headed toward the elevator, figuring that Tony’s idea of coffee might help him.

            He leaned against the cold metal wall of the elevator, finding some relief. The ding was a little loud, but at least it signaled he made it to the common kitchen. He’d take it as a win that he managed to do so without too much hassle.

            Steve headed straight for the coffee maker, thankful that it was a simple button system. He started it, and grabbed a mug from the cupboard before turning back to the machine. Normally, the wait wasn’t long, but with a hangover – certainly a first since he received the serum – made time stretch.

            “Mister Rogers?” He turned back to see Jane Foster standing in a borrowed t-shirt, presumable one of Thor’s, that reached her knees. She was playing with the hem, tiny fingers tugging at the cloth. She met his eyes though, and he was startled the intensity of her gaze.

            “Good morning, Doctor Foster,” he said, giving her a smile. “Would you like a cup?” He turned back to the cupboard before she could respond, grabbing another coffee mug.

            “What…what are your words?”

            “Excuse me?” Steve fumbled mug, nearly dropping it at her question. He turned back to her, meeting those eyes.

            “What are your words?”

            “Why do you want to know?”

            Jane stared at him for a moment before letting out a huff of air. Her hands dropped from the edges of the shirt and grabbed one of her sleeves. She pulled it up, revealing a bare shoulder and the writing marking her. Even from this distance he could his handwriting on her skin.

            “’France. 1944. Fought a tank with an empty pistol.’” Jane read without glancing at the words.

            “That’s kind of distinctive,” Steve said, still staring at her, just in the same way he recalled last night before he spoke that very phrase. It wasn’t his first words of the night, but definitely his first words to her.

            “I know,” Jane said taking a step forward towards him. The coffee machine dinged, singling the dark brew was ready. Steve turned back to it and grabbed the carafe. He poured one and turned back to hand it to, now finding her within his personal space.

            “Sorry,” he said. The coffee splashed a bit over his fingers as he moved not to spill it on her. “I think milk is in the fridge and if you want sugar -”

            “You really don’t know how to talk to girls, do you?” She asked, taking the mug from his hand with both of hers. Her eyes never left him as she sipped from the mug.

            “No, I…I’ m not,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting this first thing in the morning either.”

            “Thor spoke to you?” she asked with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

            “Yeah,” Steve said. He poured coffee into his mug to give his hands something to do, then he replaced it. “Kind of makes sense now.”

            “Sorry, we just…I thought it would be best that you hear it from it that it was okay,” Jane said. He felt her eyes on him as he moved to another cupboard, grabbing the small container of sugar. It had been a luxury during the war, and now, he probably indulged in it a little too often but the calories were kind of necessary at times.

            “It did, but I’m kind of playing catch up here,” he said, dumping a few spoonful of sugar into his mug before stirring it. He tossed the spoon into the sink and finally turned back to face her. She hadn’t moved from her spot, less than an arm’s length away from him. “So you two were still…dating, even though he found his?”

            “It’s a little more complicated than that, but yeah,” Jane said. “Is this okay?”

            “Is what okay? Us?” She nodded. “I hardly know you, but given the chance I’d like to.”

            “Good,” she said. She leaned took another step further into his personal space before lifting up onto her toes to kiss him. It was brief, but nice. “And I’m sorry for mine.”

            “What? Oh, yeah,” he said, finally remembering the words etched into his hip. “Still, you’re much more than I deserved for getting someone to call ‘bullshit’ on me.”

            “We’ll see,” Jane said. “I may be too much for you to handle.”

            Steve started to respond, but was cut off by someone else. “No!”

            Jane closed her eyes and leaned into him. “Darcy,” she muttered into his chest. Steve looked up to see the black-haired girl glaring at them both.

            “I am not responsible for anything that happens,” she said, stamping her foot.

            “What’s that mean?” Steve glanced down at Jane, who started to laugh now. He wrapped an arm around her waist, letting her sink further into him.

            “It means you two get into too much trouble,” Darcy said, waving a finger at both of them, “and I’m not pulling you out of all those fires. Especially if you get that damn bridge to work.”

            “Bridge?”

            “We’ll talk about it later,” Jane said. She turned around, leaving his arm around her waist.

            “And stop being so damn cute together,” Darcy said, glaring at them from the kitchen entrance. “What’s with you and getting the studly blonds?”

            “I think the more important question is ‘why are they blocking the coffee machine?’” Clint said. Steve quickly moved to the side, letting go of Jane who began to pout. “Not what you were expecting when you woke up, huh?”

            “No,” Steve said, watching Jane walked off to calm Darcy down.

            “She almost gets into more trouble then you,” Clint said. He grabbed two mugs and quickly poured the coffee in them before going to the fridge.

            “Doubt it,” Steve admitted. Jane turned back to glance at him and offered him a smile before moving off to talk with Darcy some more. “Still, I think it won’t be boring.”

            “Finding your soulmark rarely is,” Clint said, patting him on the shoulder. The archer walked out of the kitchen and headed back to the elevator, and presumable Laura.

            Steve headed toward Darcy, figuring he’d get over this part before the others arrived. He knew from Bucky talking about his dates that if you didn’t impress the best friend, you were in deep trouble.  The twenty-first century may be completely different than his own, but soulmarks and best friends definitely were among the things that still made sense. Finding his soulmark only made him wistful for his own best friend still lost out there. He’d find Bucky and then maybe Darcy wouldn’t have work too hard to keep them out of trouble if he was there. For now, he’d settle on getting to know Jane and making this work.

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing except the plot. Please let me know if there is any issues with characterization or voices. I tried to do the characters justice, but I am open to honest and fair criticism.
> 
> If you have a pairing you'd like read, please let me know. Anyone from anything by Whedon is fair game, so let me know.
> 
> Good night and good luck.


End file.
